This invention relates generally to appliances and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for controlling odors within appliances.
Certain food products, such as fish, strawberries, onions and garlic, emit odors. When such food products are stored within an appliance, such as within a fresh food storage compartment or a freezer storage compartment of a refrigerator, the odor emissions lead to undesirable characteristic smells within the appliance. As the consumer opens the refrigerator door, for example, the consumer may smell such undesirable odors. Additionally, these odors released by such food products may contaminate other generally non-odorous food products, such as milk, water or ice. As a result, the contaminated food products may smell differently than originally perceived. Conventional methods for preventing such odors from contaminating other food products include sealing or packing the food products. However, it is not feasible to seal or package all food products and, in many cases, sealed or packaged food products may still emit undesirable odors.